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Norfolk, Nebraska LSS-South Dakota Distinguished Corporate Partner Of 1998
The winter of 1996-97 was one of the most devastating on record in South Dakota. The losses and prolonged misery of thousands of citizens continues to be felt today. But in the midst of all that tragedy a champion emerged, who, in partnership with Lutheran Social Service (LSS) and Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), brought a convoy of care - fueled by the love of Christ, to respond to the suffering, the hungry and those who felt themselves forgotten.
The Orphan Grain Train of Norfolk, NE is a voluntary organization affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Lutheran Hour Ministries and is organized to respond to human suffering anywhere in the world. Beginning in November of 1997, they mobilized their incredible resources to aid in the outreach to South Dakotans who were victims of blizzards, floods and a tornado.
In the past fourteen months the Grain Train delivered over thirty semi-truck loads of food, clothing, building supplies and fencing materials, which were distributed by Lutheran Social Services volunteers to people living in over fifty SD communities and three Indian reservations. In all, the Grain Train has provided over 1,000,000 pounds of groceries, 80,000 pounds of clothing, thousands of fence posts and miles of barbed wire to people in need. They also delivered hundreds of donated cows through the One Good Cow program to replace cattle lost in the blizzards. Most recently, they have joined LSS in a partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank to supply 440 needy families with monthly deliveries of groceries through May of 1999.
The ministry of the Grain Train was further magnified as it extended into the lives of scores of youth and other volunteers who were privileged to deliver food and re-build fences with materials supplied by OGT. When the tornado hit Spencer, the Grain Train was on the scene immediately and two days later delivered a truckload of food to supply the Armory. Over and over again, victims and volunteers alike were astounded at the generosity, quality, organization and capacity of the Grain Train’s resources. They were also greatly moved by the unqualified nature of the support, which was given solely in response to human suffering.
For many South Dakota families, the help provided by the Orphan Grain Train has enabled them to continue a viable farming or ranching operation because it came in addition to the family grants, counseling and re-building support supplied through our total disaster response. For the ministry of LSS, the partnership with the Orphan Grain Train allowed us to be present in even the most remote and otherwise forgotten places of the state with the same loving message of hope and help we tried to provide in more urban areas.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of Lutheran Social Services it is my great honor to say thanks to the Orphan Grain Train for their magnificent partnership and loving service, and to present to them the Distinguished Corporate Partner Award for 1998.
This award and citation was presented at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, January 28, 1999, by Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota President & CEO, Mr. Jim Barclay.